Projects may include, but are not limited to the design and construction of a solid concrete wall prototype and various miles of border wall along the southwest border (i.e. San Diego, CA to Brownsville, TX).

Each IDIQ contract will have a maximum contract value not to exceed $300,000,000.

One of the design concepts completed by the Penna Group (pictured above) was developed based on the following threshold requirements:

The wall design shall be physically imposing in height. The Government’s nominal concept is for a 30-foot high wall. Offerors should consider this height, but designs with heights of at least 18 feet may be acceptable. Designs with heights of less than 18 feet are not acceptable.

It shall not be possible for a human to climb to the top of the wall or access the top of the wall from either side unassisted (e.g. via the use of a ladder, etc.).

The wall design shall include anti-climb topping features that prevent scaling using common and more sophisticated climbing aids (e.g. grappling hooks, handholds, etc.).

The wall shall prevent digging or tunneling below it for a minimum of 6 feet below the lowest adjacent grade.

The wall shall prevent/deter for a minimum of 1 hour the creation a physical breach of the wall (e.g., punching through the wall) larger than 12-inches in diameter or square using sledgehammer, car jack, pick axe, chisel, battery operated impact tools, battery operated cutting tools, Oxy/acetylene torch or other similar hand-held tools.

The north side of wall (i.e. U.S. facing side) shall be aesthetically pleasing in color, anti-climb texture, etc., to be consistent with general surrounding environment. The manufacturing/construction process should facilitate changes in color and texture pursuant to site specific requirements.

The wall fittings and fixtures shall be secured on the north side of the wall to shield from external attack.

The wall design should be cost effective to construct, maintain and repair.

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Border Wall | Mexico

12 feet high x 64 feet long

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Salvaged Mexico Section | 8 feet 3 inches = 99 inches high

Secondary U.S. Section (top) | 3 feet 9 inches = 45 inches high

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“The quest for a greater understanding of purpose and meaning is universal to our collective existence. We wrestle with the anxiety and uncertainty we all face when we leave behind the known for the unknown. Regardless of the demarcation lines of country and culture, we are all migrants in search of something profound and meaningful to our being. The bright border light forces a pause in this transitory experience for the migrant crossing the U.S.-Mexico border.

In a time of national polarization and apprehension, Estamos Buscando A is an immersive, photography-based installation that re-materializes the physicality and psychology of the U.S.-Mexico border as a 12’ x 64’ free-standing wall on a nearly 3,000 square foot dirt footprint.

Constructed with salvaged sections of fencing from the original border wall, the Mexico side of the installation serves as an altar to support photographic portraits of migrants printed on aluminum, referencing religious iconography of the retablo and votive paintings found in churches throughout Mexico, quietly speaking to the enduring human spirit of the migrant experience. In contrast, the imposing U.S. side of the installation—based on a 2017 request for proposals from the Department of Homeland Security—foretells a future of isolation and detached nationalism. Various ephemeral materials—including government signage and a tire drag—heighten the presence of national security while the discarded, personal belongings of migrants speak of the border experience as not just a topic of political debate, but rather as a harrowing and longstanding human ordeal.”